My Brother and Me
My Brother and Me is a sitcom on Nickelodeon that premiered on October 15, 1994, and ran until February 2, 1995. The show is about a family living in the West Side of Charlotte, North Carolina, who experience the highs and lows of everyday life. Jennifer and Roger Parker have two sons, Alfie and Dee Dee. Alfie is the cool elder brother and Dee Dee is the younger brother, who always follows Alfie around. The family also has a smarter, older daughter named Melanie. Another main character of the show is Alfie's best friend Milton 'Goo' Berry. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Brother_and_Me&action=edit&section=1 edit Cast http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Brother_and_Me&action=edit&section=2 edit Main cast *'Arthur Reggie III' as Alfred "Alfie" Parker *'Ralph Woolfolk IV' as Derek "Dee Dee" Parker *'Jimmy Lee Newman Jr.' as Milton "Goo" Berry *'Aisling Sistrunk' as Melanie Parker *'Karen E. Fraction' as Jennifer Parker *'Jim R. Coleman' as Roger Parker http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Brother_and_Me&action=edit&section=3 edit Recurring cast *'Stefan Wernli' as Donnell Wilbur *'Amanda Seales' as Deonne Wilbur *'Christopher Guerriero' as Milton Garcia *'Keith "Bubba" Naylor' as Harry White *'Renaldo Ferguson' as Himself *'Kym Whitley' as Mrs. Pickney http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Brother_and_Me&action=edit&section=4 edit Celebrity cameos In the first episode of the series, Charlotte Hornets all-star Kendall Gill made a guest appearance. The young shooting guard came to the comic book store to impart wisdom to the children. It was here that Alfie famously remarked "Oh my God, it's Kendall Gill!" The show also featured former Orlando Magic small forward Dennis Scott as a coach. In the episode Basketball Tryouts, he serves as the coach who picks the final teams for the juniors and seniors. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Brother_and_Me&action=edit&section=5 edit Episodes http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Brother_and_Me&action=edit&section=6 edit Interior monologues The show extensively uses interior monologues. Almost every episode features the characters' "thoughts," usually overreacted responses to something another character says. This is especially prevalent in scenes revolving around the boys' father (Jim Coleman), who frequently tells painfully boring stories about his brother, the kids' uncle Lawrence, and forces the kids to endure his favorite dish, Mumbo-jumbo gumbo. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Brother_and_Me&action=edit&section=7 edit Catchphrases A common (though unofficial) catchphrase used in the show by multiple characters (usually Donnell) was "Don't hold your breath!" This was a typical response to an outlandish suggestion by another character (for example, Goo asking Melanie for a kiss). Another common catchphrase would occur when Dee Dee would interrupt Goo in whatever story he was telling, and promptly after Goo telling Dee Dee off, he would say, "Now as I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted...." and would continue onward with his story. This occurrence happened quite often on the show. There was also the use of the phrase "you didn't say Fuzzy Wuzzy" when Dee Dee would convince Alfie to play the Fuzzy Wuzzy Bear Game. One phrase, said by Dee Dee and memorable for its unorthodox inflection, was "Hit me! Hit me!" He was being bullied at school, so his brother Alfie and Goo taught him how to fight. After saying that phrase, Dee Dee came home with a black eye. They came to find out, it was a girl that was bullying him. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Brother_and_Me&action=edit&section=8 edit Cancellation The show made history as the network's first show featuring an all-black cast. Despite its popularity during its premiere, the series only lasted 13 episodes. Ralph Woolfolk explained in an interview that the show was canceled due to disagreements between the producers and creators of the show; a second season was planned but the two parties had different visions for the show that caused a major fallout.[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Brother_and_Me&action=edit&section=9 edit After the series Arthur Reggie III made a few more appearances on television, before turning to rapping. He raps under the name Show Bizness. Amanda Seales went on in the industry as a musician known as Amanda Diva. The rest of the cast, with the exception of Karen Fraction and Jim Coleman, fell into obscurity. Some fan sites found the cast on Facebook and reported that most have graduated from college and pursued careers in the private sector. Ralph Woolfolk studied English at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA and seeking Law School at either Harvard University or William and Mary Law School in Virginia. He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc, the first historically black fraternity on a collegiate level. On October 30, 2007, Karen Fraction died after a 5 year battle with breast cancer. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Brother_and_Me&action=edit&section=10 edit Awards In 1996 and 1997, My Brother and Me was nominated for the NAACP Image Award (Outstanding Youth or Children's Series/Special).